The dust has settled after a momentous change in Tampa Bay last week.
Despite the disappointment felt by receiver Mike Evans' departure for San Francisco, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht isn't bitter.
"I don't feel betrayed," Licht told reporters Wednesday, via the . "He earned the right to make the decision... he loves this team. He loves everything about it... I think he wanted a new challenge."
Licht echoed Evans when explaining the receiver desired to test himself elsewhere, but questions remained regarding Evans' decision to leave the only team he's known since entering the NFL as the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft.
Evans' willingness and apparent eagerness to join the 49ers reflected poorly on the state of the Buccaneers, the Super Bowl LV champions who have since repeatedly failed to prove they're better than a Divisional Round exit, if that. Some saw it as a lack of confidence in coach Todd Bowles, a defensive minded veteran whose teams have skewed toward the offensive side out of necessity in recent years and collapsed down the stretch of the 2025 season, a span that included a shocking prime-time loss to Atlanta that inspired an Evans rant afterward.
"A lot of people were frustrated and Mike was frustrated as competitive as he is, but nothing was ever directed... probably the person most frustrated in that particular incident was Todd," Licht said of the reaction to the Week 15 defeat.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, some also wondered whether Evans jumped ship because he knew the seas ahead would only get rougher.
Licht revealed Wednesday that Evans accepted less money to sail west and join a 49ers team that upset the Philadelphia Eagles and reached the Divisional Round despite an assortment of injuries affecting key players in 2025. As Evans' agent stated after the move became public, Evans was looking forward to participating in an offense "that challenges defenses," a feather in Kyle Shanahan's cap that doubled when Evans said he'd long been a fan of the Niners coach, but also could be interpreted as a slight toward Bowles and his revolving door of offensive coordinators.
In the end, it truly wasn't about money. As Licht said, he felt "like we did everything we could" in attempting to convince Evans to stay in Tampa.
"We made a significantly higher offer [than the 49ers] and that was just the first offer," Licht said, per .
Instead, Evans chose opportunity and a fresh start over familiarity and a larger paycheck.
"We had a verbal agreement that he could be here as long as he wants," Licht said of Evans. "I'm happy for Mike and happy he found a place he wants to be."
